Modest body roll distinguishes new Acura TLX from siblings

LAST January, Mike Accavitti told a standing-room-only crowd of journalists that the 2015 Acura TLX would deliver “an adrenaline rush like no other” and that it would be “instinctively responsive,” “firmly planted,” and “incredibly nimble.”

   Accavitti is the senior VP of Honda’s Acura division, and his remarks were delivered with the TLX unveiling at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Journalists could be forgiven for emerging from the presentation with the impression that they had just seen a seriously hot new sports sedan.

   Reality doesn’t always measure up to hype, and that’s why we test such claims at the track. A replacement for both the TL and TSX sedans (sadly, without the wagon variant), the TLX is many things—smooth, quiet, competent, comfortable, and a technological showcase. But can Acura’s rookie elbow its way onto the field as a player in a performance league that includes the standard German all-stars?

   Accavitti’s Detroit presentation did provide one accurate insight. “Performance,” he said, “is often misinterpreted as mindless, pedal-to-the-metal testosterone.” Translation: Big horsepower isn’t part of the TLX story. Like the TSX, the TLX offers a choice of the standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder we tested earlier or this 3.5-liter V-6. Both are updates on current Honda/Acura engines, both are nourished by direct fuel injection, and both generate a little more power than corresponding powerplants employed for lesser cars.

   Output of the V-6 in TLX tune is 290 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. Mash the accelerator and you can expect to be traveling 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, not slow but not exactly mindless pedal-to-the-metal territory.

 The equivalent BMW 335i brings a 3.0-liter turbo straight-six to the party (300 hp, 300 lb-ft) and, with automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive, can sprint to 60 a full second quicker. 

   Acura’s nine-speed automatic transmission, for its part, will upshift automatically as redline approaches and isn’t quite as responsive as the eight-speed dual-clutch unit that the maker pairs with the four-cylinder engine. But unless the owner plans to exercise the TLX at track days or an autocross, its paddle-shift responses are quick enough. The TLX’s dynamic virtues lie elsewhere

    Though not quite “incredibly nimble,” the TLX dances pretty well for a front-drive car. Put this down to a rigid chassis; a sophisticated system of presets (Econ, Normal, Sport, Sport+) that controls throttle mapping, chassis tuning, and shift points in the nine-speed gearbox; plus a standard four-wheel-steering system—P-AWS (for Precision All-Wheel Steer). Honda offered four-wheel steering as far back as the 1988 Prelude, when the feature played well in contemporary road tests but not in the market. In the latest version, it definitely mitigates the resistance to turn-in (read: understeer) that accompanies front-wheel drive, and it also adds a welcome element of confidence to high-speed cornering.

    Overall, the TLX is balanced and pleasant. Body roll is modest, the controlled ride quality has a Germanic feel, and interior noise levels—an Acura bragging point dating to the division’s 1986 origins—are subdued. The steering rates as average in the new world of electric assist, being a little vague on-center but nicely weighted as speed builds.

   Lateral grip (0.83 g) as delivered by a set of 18-inch Bridgestone Potenzas is only so-so by the standards of this class, and braking performance—182 feet from 70 mph, with slight fade—is disappointing.

    Would the TLX’s responses be closer to incredibly nimble with the optional Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD)? It seems likely, given the historical goodness of the technology. Opting for SH-AWD means sacrificing P-AWS, however, as they’re mutually exclusive. And all-wheel drive frequently begets understeer, but the Acura system differs from most. So we’ll table that question for a later test

     The TLX does enjoy one edge over its establishment targets: its value. The range starts at $31,915 for the four-cylinder version (in some ways more entertaining to drive, thanks to less weight on the front wheels and the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic). At $43,420, our test subject lacked only all-wheel drive to possess pretty much everything in the TLX inventory (such as a sunroof, high-end ELS audio, navigation, connectivity, and active safety features).

     As an aside, one element of that inventory that could use a major overhaul is the center dash infotainment array, which may be the most bewildering system since the original BMW iDrive due to its multiple screens and myriad buttons. Still, bringing a BMW 335i to a similar equipment level would add many g-notes to the Acura’s total.

     There’s more. Honda and Acura are commonly conservative with exterior design, but the TLX does have some double take to its curbside presence, at least viewed from the front.